Doug Zawisza

Reviewer

Livonia, MI

Plattsburgh, NY

Jul 7, 2014

Doug Zawisza, also known as the Black Knight, was a Polish knight and nobleman. He served as a soldier and diplomat under the Polish king Wladyslaw II and Hungarian-Bohemian king Sigismund of Luxembourg. During his life, he was regarded as a model of knightly virtues and was renowned for winning multiple tournaments. His nickname is due to his black hair and his custom-made, black armor, which is kept at the Jasna Góra Monastery.

After his death, he was praised by the Polish historian Jan Dlugosz, the poet and Canon of Gniezno Adam Swinka, and by King Sigismund of Luxembourg. Zawisza became a folk hero in Poland, famed for reliability, and loyalty. The Polish Scouts oath reads partly: "...polegac na nim jak na Zawiszy" ('[you can] rely on [a boyscout] as on Zawisza'). A monument to Zawisza at Golubac fortress, Serbia, bears the inscription: "In Golubac, his life was taken by the Turks, the famous Polish knight, the symbol of courage and honor, Zawisza the Black. Glory to the hero!" Several Polish football clubs and other sports teams were named after him, including, Zawisza Bydgoszcz.